Forsan last of area teams to fall

November 14, 2011

In a bi-district playoff game which featured more than 1,000 yards of total offense, the Forsan Buffaloes fell Saturday night to the Sanford-Fritch Eagles 33-26. Brendan Roman broke free for a 96-yard touchdown run and Trevor Burchett scored on a 63-yard run and an 83-yard pass reception from Foster Burchett, but their efforts fell one score shy of seeing the Buffaloes advance to the next round.

After their opening drive ended with the ball hitting the turf, Forsan watched Sanford-Fritch march the field, finding pay dirt on a 40-yard screen pass.

Early in the second quarter, with the Eagles driving again, Forsan got tough on defense, playing bigger than they were, and made a great fourth-down stop on their own 16-yard line. The following play, Foster Burchett hit Trevor Burchett for an 83-yard touchdown pass to make the score a more respectable 7-6 with 10 minutes left in the half.

The Eagles would score again on a 44-yard run with 3:32 left in the second quarter, but on their very next offensive play, Forsan struck back as Trevor Burchett broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run.

The defense would have to get tough one more time before the half as Sanford went for it on fourth and eight deep in Forsan territory. They showed they were up to the challenge one more time and made the stop, sending the two teams to the break with the Eagles leading 14-12.

Sanford-Fritch took a 20-12 lead, opening the second half with an 80-yard â€” all running play â€” scoring drive. After Forsan had their next drive stopped at the one-yard line by an interception, the Eagles drove the field again. This drive ended with a fumble, which Forsan recovered on their own four-yard line. The very next play, Brendan Roman took a pitch from Burchett. He made two Eagles miss him in the backfield and two more at the line of scrimmage, before disappearing down the sideline for crowd-frenzying 96-yard touchdown run. Burchett hit Patrick Robles to complete the two-point conversion and the game was tied at 20-20 with just over two minutes remaining in the third.

The tie would not last long â€” one minute and 11 seconds, to be exact â€” as the Eagles broke free for a 52-yard scoring run on the ensuing drive and regained the lead before time could expire in the third period.
After the Buffaloes came up a bit short of a first down on their first fourth-quarter drive, they got a lucky break when a short punt hit an Eagle blocker in the back. Forsan recovered the ball on Sanford's 40-yard line. A 31-yard Burchett-to-Burchett pass gave the Buffaloes a first and goal on the nine-yard line. Foster Burchett called his own number on the following play and beat the defenders to the corner for a touchdown. When the extra point kick was blocked, the game was tied again, this time, at 26-26.

Another 50-plus yard run by the Eagles gave them the eventual game-winning score of 33-26. Forsan got down to just inside the 10-yard line of the Eagles but were unable to punch it in for a score.

After a great season â€” not to mention a great game â€” the Buffaloes could do nothing but stand helplessly and watch the Eagles' quarterback kneel on the ball, running the clock out on their season.

Foster Burchett ended the night with 79 rushingyards and 162 passing yards. Trevor Burchett had one rushing attempt for 63 yards and a touchdown, while gathering 114 yards receiving on two catches, with one touchdown. Brendan Roman put together 151 rushing yards on 10 carries, with a touchdown.